Game warden cases: There’s a reason we need National Safe Boating Week

Sadly, it’s not difficult to tell when warming late-spring weather triggers a surge of recreational boating activity on Texas’ lakes, rivers and bays. The evidence is there to read in the weekly field reports from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s law enforcement division.

In a nod to National Safe Boating Week, set for May 19-25 and aimed at trying to increase public awareness of safe boating practices ahead of the traditional start of “boating season” over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, here’s a selection of recent boating-related cases and incidents worked by TPWD game wardens.

I threw in a couple of non-boating-related cases, too, just to confirm that Texas wardens are taking care of other business, too.

And to show Texas certainly has no corner on the market when it comes to boaters committing irresponsible, dangerous or outright illegal acts, I added an incident that occurred this past week in Louisiana.

This week’s weirdness-on -the-water edition:

Grayson County Game Warden Dale Moses received a call April 28 from several local fishing guides on Lake Texoma advising that a sailboat had capsized and several people were in the water.

When he arrived at the reported capsizing, Warden Moses found seven adult females in the water and hanging on to the hull of the sailboat.

Thankfully, all seven were wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs).

Warden Moses got the subjects into his boat and towed the boat back to the local Girl Scout camp, which owned the boat.

While Moses was dealing with returning the boat and the seven passengers, a second sailboat from the Girl Scout camp capsized, with the operator of a nearby cabin cruiser rescuing the passengers.

As Warden Moses off loaded his passengers, he was advised there was a third Girl Scout sailboat missing.

Moses located the missing sailboat and transported the five passengers from that boat back to the camp.

The Girl Scout sailing instructors and their passengers learned that it is not a good idea to sail on Lake Texoma when the wind is blowing 22 mph and gusting to 30 mph

Thankfully, the day ended with no injuries and no property damage.

Nacogdoches County Game Warden Randy Stovall responded to a May 6 call regarding two individuals lost on the Attoyac River.

The men had been dropped off on May 3 at the Highway 7 Bridge and were planning an overnight float trip to Highway 21

Warden Stovall was unable to locate the men by boat because of low water levels and excessive log jams.

A search was conducted by foot through private property, and the two men were located near a hunting camp bordering the river.

Other than being torn up by mosquitoes and being very thirsty, the men were in good health.

The men were scout masters and in excellent shape. But they had run out of food after the first day, and were using a water purifier to stay hydrated.

Warden Stovall was able to get the men and their canoe out of the water and take them to their destination.

Madison County Game Warden Chris Lasiter and Walker County Game Warden Stephen Ingram had finished a May 6 patrol on the Trinity River and were leaving the area when they noticed an all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) being operated on a public road.

After stopping the ATV, the wardens checked ownership records and found the vehicles had been reported stolen.

The vehicle was seized and is being held pending an ownership hearing, and charges are pending further investigation.

Wardens were called to Choke Canyon Lake where a fisherman had gone missing May 6 after falling from his boat during a fishing trip.

The man, his wife and grandchild had been out fishing when the wind blew off the man’s hat.

While leaning over the side of the boat to attempt retrieving the hat, the man fell overboard.

The man was immediately in trouble, and attempts to throw him floatation were unsuccessful.

On May 7, a TPWD patrol boat equipped with a side-scan sonar unit was brought to the lake to assist in the search.

After a few hours on the water, the sonar unit provided wardens with a possible target. After officers and dive teams reviewed the sonar images, they decided to attempt a recovery.

Within 20 minutes, divers recovered the victim’s body.

On patrol on Lake Austin about 9:30 p.m., May 5, Travis County Game Wardens Theron Oatman and Braxton Harris attempted to stop a boat for a water safety inspection.

After wardens activated their red/blue lights to alert the boat operator to stop, the wardens noticed the boat operator switch places with another passenger.

Wardens transported both subjects to shore for further testing.

Warden Oatman arrested one of the two subjects for BWI.

Subject refused to provide a blood sample so a search warrant was obtained.

Case pending.

Travis County Game Wardens Theron Oatman, Braxton Harris, Jeff Hill, Williamson County Game Warden Joel Campos and Captain Scott Jurk worked a boating safety detail on May 9 focusing on intoxicated boaters on Lake Austin.

While boat traffic was light, the operation yielded one boating-under-influence by a minor, and two Class A misdemeanor boating-while-intoxicated charges.

Blood warrants were obtained on both BWI subjects.

Cases pending.

A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries game warden patrolling the Amite River on May 6 had a run-in, quite literally, with a suspected intoxicated boater.

According to a LDWF report, game warden Sgt. Randy Lanoux was patrolling the river in early evening when, witnesses said, a personal watercraft travelling at high speed collided with the patrol vessel.

Sgt .Lanoux was not injured in the collision, and the patrol boat suffered only minor damage. The PWC was wrecked; so, too, officers allege, was the man operating the vessel.

The PWC operator, who received medical treatment for injuries in the crash and was released later that night, was suspected of being intoxicated at the time of the incident. A blood sample was taken for analysis.

Five days later, after results of the blood test indicated the PWC operator was, indeed, intoxicated, LDWF arrested the man.

The 43-year-old suspect was charged with DWI (third offense), reckless operation of a vessel and operating a watercraft while under driver’s license suspension.

If convicted, he faces as much as five years in jail and a $2,000 fine for the third-offense DWI, 90 days in jail and $200 for reckless operation of a vessel and, for operating a vessel while under driver’s license suspension, an additional year of having his driving and boat operating privileges revoked.

[…] Game warden cases: There's a reason we need National Safe Boating Week Posted in Choke Canyon Fishing Report on Mar 14th, 2011 | 0 comments Game warden cases: There's a reason we need National Safe Boating Week Wardens were called to Choke Canyon Lake where a fisherman had gone missing May 6 after falling from his boat during a fishing trip. The man, his wife and grandchild had been out fishing when the wind blew off the man's hat. While leaning over the side … Read more on Houston Chronicle (blog) […]

The Girl Scout sailing instructors . . . learned that it is not a good idea to sail on Lake Texoma when the wind is blowing 22 mph and gusting to 30 mph
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How did those idiots get to be “instructors”?

I really hope the girls in that troop were older girls and reasonably experienced. I can’t understand why they’d send out inexperienced girls–children, even–in anything less than ideal boating conditions (or as ideal as they can get). I mean, honestly: small boat + sail that operates via wind + 22 mph wind = ? They didn’t do the mental math, perhaps?